Marinelli, Ascaride win top acting prizes at Venice Film Festival

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Italian actor Luca Marinelli won the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday for his portrayal of a poor, aspiring writer in "Martin Eden" while French actress Ariane Ascaride won the best actress award.

Ascaride won for her role in "Gloria Mundi" in which she plays a mother desperate to help her financially-strapped family in this drama set in Marseilles.